In the film The Last Supper, we are presented with a historical recreation of 17th and 18th century Cuba during the islands boom as a major sugar producer and therefore consequently, slave importer. This sets the stage for the main purpose of the film: a reconstruction of a slave revolt against the brutal Spanish plantation system. The film is filled with symbolism and imagery and has a political subtext that invokes the spirit of Cubanidad. This is done purposefully, with the director most likely taking into account the target audience, and possibly, a bit of directorial influence from the powers that be. Although the film was made in Communist Cuba in the 1970's, it is not at all a shameless propaganda piece, and does have a great deal of historical merit.
The film begins with a visit by the plantation owner to his plantation estate, a subtle depiction of the absentee landowner system, which was prevalent in the Cuban-colonial system. The landowner is brought into contact with a depraved overseer, and a Catholic priest both of whom exemplify different yet complimentary forms of brutality and exploitation. The overseer, acts as the ruthless enforcer on the plantation who is frequently depicted abusing slaves, and exemplifies the overtly brutal symbol of slave subjugation. The Catholic priest's role is to highlight the complicity of the Catholic Church in the slave trade, and forms the more subtle and covert psychological factor in slave subjugation. This type of psychological subjugation is depicted at several instances throughout the film and gives the most shape and substance to the films basic theme: the use of religion, namely Spanish style Catholicism, as a subjugating and oppressive force to instill a sense of fatalism amongst the slaves who would then become docile and more manageable. This is visualized in the interactions between the Priest and Landowner, with the slaves, in various instances throughout the film.
The symbolic imagery is brought to fruition in the supper scene, from which the title of the film arises, in which the landowner shares a meal with his slaves similar to the last supper Jesus shared with his apostles. The Landowner does so in order to fulfill his white-mans burden and civilize the savage-non-Christian-African-slaves. It is here that the true purpose of Christianity is revealed. The landowner tells the slave that the suffering and misery experienced by them in this world is God favoring them, and that their true reward shall be in the next life. The slaves make a mockery of this and the wisest of the slaves positioned as Judas at the right hand of the landowner (who is symbolically placed in the position of Jesus), launches into a parable based on Santeria, which is purported to have been widespread amongst the people, slave and free, of Cuba at the time. The parable tells the tale of falsehood, in this case Christianity, which roams the earth in the guise of truth. Santeria is positioned as intrinsically Cuban and liberating, while Catholicism is positioned as inherently oppressive and alien. This positioning seems purposely done to invoke a spirit of nationalism for all things Cubanidad. It is this tale, and the enlightened Judas-esquire slave, that serve as catalysts for the eventual orgiastic-slave-rebellion which takes place near the conclusion of the film.
The film also captures the exploitative reality of the coartacion system, which often times is the basis some scholars use in stating that the Spanish system of slavery was less brutal than those that existed in other colonial systems. The movie comes closer to the truth and is actually supported by historical documentation in properly portraying the coartacion system as a means to better exploit slave labor, rather than to liberate the individual slave. This irony of the coartacion system is not lost on the director who skillfully depicts its true nature. This is done so in the supper scene, where an elderly slave makes a request of the landowner to forgive his remaining debt and allow him to go free. The landowner acquiesces, but the elderly slave having become completely institutionalized has nowhere to go and breaks down in tears. The elderly slave is near death and has toiled the majority of his life away trying to buy his freedom, which he ultimately fails to do. The landowner uses this to further belittle the slaves, attempting to point out that freedom would not bring them happiness, only a life of endless toil with the possibility of achieving recompense in the hereafter could achieve this end.
In the concluding scenes of the film, the once warm and forgiving landowner has abandoned his previous disposition and subdues the slave revolt in a brutal manner. The final scene is the erection of a new cross on the future site of a new church to be built in the honor of the overseer who meets his fate at the hands of the metaphorical Judas during the uprising. The site is surrounded with the amputated heads of revolting slaves, placed on pikes at the landowner's behest. This final imagery brings full circle the theme of the film.
The film begins with a visit by the plantation owner to his plantation estate, a subtle depiction of the absentee landowner system, which was prevalent in the Cuban-colonial system. The landowner is brought into contact with a depraved overseer, and a Catholic priest both of whom exemplify different yet complimentary forms of brutality and exploitation. The overseer, acts as the ruthless enforcer on the plantation who is frequently depicted abusing slaves, and exemplifies the overtly brutal symbol of slave subjugation. The Catholic priest's role is to highlight the complicity of the Catholic Church in the slave trade, and forms the more subtle and covert psychological factor in slave subjugation. This type of psychological subjugation is depicted at several instances throughout the film and gives the most shape and substance to the films basic theme: the use of religion, namely Spanish style Catholicism, as a subjugating and oppressive force to instill a sense of fatalism amongst the slaves who would then become docile and more manageable. This is visualized in the interactions between the Priest and Landowner, with the slaves, in various instances throughout the film.
The symbolic imagery is brought to fruition in the supper scene, from which the title of the film arises, in which the landowner shares a meal with his slaves similar to the last supper Jesus shared with his apostles. The Landowner does so in order to fulfill his white-mans burden and civilize the savage-non-Christian-African-slaves. It is here that the true purpose of Christianity is revealed. The landowner tells the slave that the suffering and misery experienced by them in this world is God favoring them, and that their true reward shall be in the next life. The slaves make a mockery of this and the wisest of the slaves positioned as Judas at the right hand of the landowner (who is symbolically placed in the position of Jesus), launches into a parable based on Santeria, which is purported to have been widespread amongst the people, slave and free, of Cuba at the time. The parable tells the tale of falsehood, in this case Christianity, which roams the earth in the guise of truth. Santeria is positioned as intrinsically Cuban and liberating, while Catholicism is positioned as inherently oppressive and alien. This positioning seems purposely done to invoke a spirit of nationalism for all things Cubanidad. It is this tale, and the enlightened Judas-esquire slave, that serve as catalysts for the eventual orgiastic-slave-rebellion which takes place near the conclusion of the film.
The film also captures the exploitative reality of the coartacion system, which often times is the basis some scholars use in stating that the Spanish system of slavery was less brutal than those that existed in other colonial systems. The movie comes closer to the truth and is actually supported by historical documentation in properly portraying the coartacion system as a means to better exploit slave labor, rather than to liberate the individual slave. This irony of the coartacion system is not lost on the director who skillfully depicts its true nature. This is done so in the supper scene, where an elderly slave makes a request of the landowner to forgive his remaining debt and allow him to go free. The landowner acquiesces, but the elderly slave having become completely institutionalized has nowhere to go and breaks down in tears. The elderly slave is near death and has toiled the majority of his life away trying to buy his freedom, which he ultimately fails to do. The landowner uses this to further belittle the slaves, attempting to point out that freedom would not bring them happiness, only a life of endless toil with the possibility of achieving recompense in the hereafter could achieve this end.
In the concluding scenes of the film, the once warm and forgiving landowner has abandoned his previous disposition and subdues the slave revolt in a brutal manner. The final scene is the erection of a new cross on the future site of a new church to be built in the honor of the overseer who meets his fate at the hands of the metaphorical Judas during the uprising. The site is surrounded with the amputated heads of revolting slaves, placed on pikes at the landowner's behest. This final imagery brings full circle the theme of the film.